Messiah in the Old Testament, The (Paperback)

~ Walter C. Kaiser Jr. (Author) "What is a 'Christian'?..." (more)
Key Phrases: royal messianism, messianic doctrine, direct prophecies, Old Testament, Grand Rapids, New York (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

This is an unapologetically apologetic book, part of a series, Studies in Old Testament Biblical Theology, explicitly identified by the editors as evangelical and implicitly identified as conservative. There is some virtue to that clear identification, in that it minimizes the likelihood that readers will be misled; there is an ax to grind here, and both editors and author are honest about grinding it. There is also some danger, in that "apologetic" writing can leave the author merely preaching to the choir. To some extent, that is what happens in Kaiser's book. It is a thorough review and synthesis of an evangelical tradition that reads Hebrew Scripture as Old Testament and finds the Messiah there incontrovertibly identified with Jesus. Though Kaiser is not likely to convince anyone who does not begin with him by appropriating Hebrew Scripture into a Christian context in the act of labeling it "old," he does help make explicit a clash of interpretations inextricably bound with interpretive communities; it's a war of words, a useful (though hardly surprising) insight where the combatants are collectively known as people of the book. Steve Schroeder

Product Description

This detailed chronological study by a noted scholar describes the unfolding Old Testament concept of Messiah.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Zondervan (August 21, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 031020030X
• ISBN-13: 978-0310200307
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #190,877 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating study of the Messiah in the Old Testament!, November 22, 2002

By	Donald S. Meador "imthman" (Novo Hamburgo, Brazil) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Walter Kaiser, Jr. has given us a very rich study regarding the Messiah. His study is very specific and unique. He focuses only on passages that deal with direct prophecies/predictions of the coming Messiah. He steers clear of typology, which can sometimes be too subjective. His approach is chronological. He begins with the Pentateuch and shows us the foundation of predictions of the Messiah that God revealed in the earliest of His revelations. He proceeds to show the reader how subsequent writers of Holy Scripture built upon this foundation and developed themes of the Messiah (e.g. Prophet, Priest, King, Servant, etc.). He follows prophecies of the Messiah through different eras of Israel's history. When he gets to the prophets themselves, he groups them by the century in which they prophesied. So, the earliest parts of this book give us prophesies of the Messiah in the order that they come in our English translations of the Old Testament. The prophets, however, are not necessarily addressed in our biblical order, as their works do not appear in chronological order in our English transations.

I wish I could say this study was for everyone - I do believe it would be beneficial reading for everyone. Kaiser's study is deep, and sometimes technical. It helps to have a basic understanding of hermeneutics (biblical interpretation) before beginning this book. There are a couple of places where he discusses aspects of Hebrew grammar - the gist is attainable if the reader will press on through these brief sections. So, it is readable, but some things will be outside the grasp of the average reader. Kaiser does not overwhelm one with the technical aspects of his research, but it is sometimes present.

There is another aspect of this book that may trouble some readers. Kaiser deals with the Hebrew text. In some places his conclusions are based on personal translations that imply that the English translations are actually mistranslations. Certain groups of Christians, especially the "King James" only crowd, will have problems with this approach. Kaiser seems to tackle the subject with a belief in the inspiration of Scripture, but not with the belief in the inspiration of the translators of Scripture. I agree with him at this point, but am concerned that it may cause difficulties for young believers.

From the other reviews of this book, it is evident that some Jewish people will have problems with this study. It is unfortunate. Kaiser makes little attempt to convert anyone - it is not an overt aspect of his work. He simply examines the evidence and writes about his findings. Some of the passages he examines are obscure, some are more commonly understood as referring to the Messiah. Kaiser is not shy about quoting from the Jewish Targums, those that predate the life of Jesus, and showing where pre-Christian Jewish understandings of the Messiah were.

All in all, this is an excellent study. I came away from this book with a deeper knowledge of how thoroughly God predicted the coming Messiah to the Jewish people. I appreciate more deeply the atoning sacrifice of the Messiah - His death in my place. Kaiser does not connect all the prophecies to their corresponding fulfillments in the New Testament. When I taught a series based on Kaiser's work I traced every New Testament connection that I could find. It is almost overwhelming to see how the New Testament shows Jesus as the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies about the coming Messiah. Such a study will enrich one's faith!

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow! Packed with Great Scripture References, July 24, 2000

By	T. B. Vick "Learn 2 Discern" (The Lone Star State) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This book is wonderful for those who want Old Testament references which point to the coming of the Messiah (Jesus). Walter Kaiser covers all the major and even some minor proof texts that point to Jesus as the Messiah. In fact, Kaiser hardly leaves any stone unturned. From the first "gospel" account in Genesis to the last prophecy of the Old Testament, Kaiser points out why these reference must be pointing to Jesus as the Messiah. Furthermore, Kaiser points out Israel's concept of the Messiah and how the Old Testament texts and their proper interpretation are necessary for understanding messianic prophecy. Some of the chapter titles are: The Study of Messianism, The Messiah in the Pentateuch, The Messiah Before and During the Davidic Monarchy, The Messiah in Psalms (part 1 & 2), The Messiah in the 9th and 8th Century Prophets, Isaiah, Exegesis, Biblical Theology, and Jesus, etc. This is not only a great reference work, but it is also a great Bible study tool for prophetic studies. Furthermore, Kaiser writes in such a way that he not only takes the complex and makes it simple, but he is thorough, concise, and clear when he writes. I highly recommend this book.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good survey of the OT messianic prophecies, December 15, 2003

By	Marc Axelrod (Potter, Wi USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This book is a quick survey of the major messianic prophecies of the Old Testament. Actually, I found the first chapter on how to interpret messianic prophecy the most helpful chapter in the book. Kaiser rejects the double fulfillment approach that many have taken with the prophecies of Christ's first coming. He makes a case for the Christocentric interpretation being the the primary interpretation in each case study. I do not always agree with this approach, as his interpretation of Isaiah 7:14 is less than satisfying.

But in most instances, his interpretations are very good, and you can perceive Kaiser's strong evangelical faith in the volume. Recommended.